HJ217 would ratify the proposal to amend the U.S. Constitution to grant Congress the power to “limit, regulate and prohibit the labor of persons under eighteen years of age.”
The House adopted HJ217 on April 30, 2024, by a vote of 88 to 56. We have assigned pluses to the nays because young adults (e.g., 17 or 16-year olds), who have reached an age of discretion, should not be subject to anti-constitutional “child labor laws” or other unreasonable barriers to willful and gainful employment. Parents—not the government—should have the final decision-making authority over as to whether their minor children can work. Each of the several States must protect the fundamental rights of parents, which are currently retained under the Ninth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
